Thursday was a troublesome day for footy.
Mainly from the second the ultimate siren sounded on Wednesday evening’s season opener, the main points of which had been virtually immediately overshadowed by what got here subsequent, the worst facets of the sport had been beamed loud and clear throughout the nation.
Bullying, misogyny, homophobia, racism. All wrapped up within the kind of poisonous masculinity that has traditionally excluded the very folks the code outwardly claims to be determined to draw.
The uncovered actions of some mirrored the experiences of many and, as common, the harmless sufferer of the entire sorry mess was feminine.
It was simply concerning the worst begin to a season possible for the AFL. As a substitute of spruiking their “competition of footy” in Melbourne and relishing within the return of the lads’s recreation, they had been pressured as soon as once more to stare cultural failings within the eye.
This was the context with which Thursday evening’s recreation between Carlton and Richmond was to be performed. For some, it will have been justifiably tough to shake that off and easily re-engage footy fan mode as soon as the ball was bounced.
The day wanted a excellent news story. One thing to remind those who footy is a worthwhile endeavour, one thing that may actually convey folks collectively.
It wanted Sam Docherty.
Docherty was making his return to the AFL after a second bout of testicular most cancers. The most recent one, found in August final yr, required 12 weeks of chemotherapy therapy.
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That Docherty had recovered and regained sufficient health to play on this spherical one recreation was exceptional in itself. For him to provide a star flip in defence and kick a uncommon purpose was past all expectations.
Docherty’s purpose got here late within the second quarter, in the midst of a Carlton fightback. Followers of each side, all 72,179 of them, applauded Docherty as if he was household whereas his Blues brothers swarmed from all corners of the MCG to embrace him.
It was genuinely heartwarming. The kind of factor that might put the smile on the face of even essentially the most cynical, worn-down footy fan on the finish of a tough day.
Docherty’s spirit proved contagious by the Carlton squad, inspiring them to a win they’ve yearly dreamed of however not achieved for a decade.
A powerful win for Voss’s new-look Blues
The Blues offered as a disciplined, structured however nonetheless fully proactive crew in a win over Richmond which means way over the 4 factors it earns the membership.
New coach Michael Voss has preached a renewed give attention to defence since his arrival, and his affect was virtually instantly felt.
Docherty was a key a part of that, as was the repurposed Mitch McGovern and ever-reliable Jacob Weitering, however crucially this defensive success was predicated on system and construction, reasonably than particular person excellence.
That alone would have been sufficient to ship Voss residence joyful. However the excellent news did not finish there.
Patrick Cripps went again to the longer term to resemble the wrecking ball of years passed by and Matthew Kennedy appeared reborn as a key member of the midfield. Key recruits George Hewett and Adam Cerra had been each wonderful.
This wasn’t a smash and seize, the Blues weren’t fortunate. This was a complete outplaying and outmanoeuvring of a crew that many predict will rise again to rivalry this yr.
For the various hundreds of Blues followers within the floor, the same old caveats designed to minimize round-one victories went out the window. There was real emotion within the stands, the type usually reserved for wins in finals.
These scenes of jubilation within the crowd, and the love proven to Docherty by teammates and supporters alike, signify one of the best of our recreation. It is speculated to convey folks collectively and it is speculated to be an antidote to the ails of the remainder of society.
None of this is sufficient to make up for the frustration of the final 24 hours. Nothing adjustments if one good recreation of footy is sufficient to finish a wider dialogue of the numerous points which have lengthy plagued the sport.
But it surely does show that footy is value one thing. It is able to such good. It may be so significantly better nonetheless.